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I’ve been on the pill here and there over the last twenty years. I’ve tried different types, but most times, it caused me anxiety and heart palpitations due to the hormones. After being diagnosed with hypertension, I no longer was able to take a birth control pill as instructed by my ob/gyn. He said I could try an IUD but I didn’t want to stick a foreign object inside my body and didn’t want to take the chance of it getting stuck or lost (as happened to one of my friends). As a result of not being on birth control, you may have read our post, “Knocked Up,” I got pregnant. Paul and I have decided we do not want to go through this uncertainty and worrying anymore when we have sex. When I reach menopause, I will most likely have my ovaries or part of them removed due to my family history of ovarian cancer, but that may not be for another ten years.
For now, Paul is going to have a vasectomy which is scheduled about two and a half weeks from now. In his consultation appointment, Paul learned that the doctor will make a small cut to both vas deferens and the procedure takes about 15-20 minutes. Not only will this prevent pregnancy, but we feel that maybe we will relax a little more during sex and that it may be more pleasurable because we won’t have to pause or stop. I told Paul that this was ultimately his decision because it was his body that was going to undergo the change. He asked if I would “miss” the sperm? Definitely not. I just want to pleasure my husband and hope that my thrusting can last a little longer.
We will report back in a few weeks post-vasectomy and let you know the aftermath. Also, if anyone out there has had a vasectomy, we’d like to know if they notice anything different and if they are happy they went through with it.
A couple of my close friends have had a vasectomy. From conversations with them, the consultation I had with the doctor, and Google searches, it is pretty clear that it does not change the individual experience for me at all. My body will still continue to produce sperm as it always has, it just won’t be part of the formula as it was before, so to speak.
Is it a weird coincidence that this was a topic that recently came up in the group text that I share with about eight of my life-long friends? Or is this just a new chapter we have entered in our lives? Either way, these foundational conversations about it combined with recent and unexpected events in our family motivated new thoughts on family planning strategies.
The procedure is in about two weeks, and though I’m sure it's going to be pain like I’ve never felt before, I am not really stressed about it. I had a tattoo appointment last night and I kind of thought to myself that if I can endure that pain for what ended up being about four hours straight, I should be able to endure 15-20 minutes of pain with local anesthesia. Don’t get me wrong, I fully appreciate the difference between pain in the arm and shoulder and pain in the balls - lol
Each year, about 500,000 men in the United States get a vasectomy. Seven things you may not know about them:
They are extremely effective with a 99% success rate
You still need to be careful at first - It may take up to 8 weeks or 20 ejaculations before it’s free of sperm
It won’t affect your sex life - You will not experience any difference in your sexual function or pleasure.
Recovery is easy with a frozen bag of peas and TV time on the couch - You can resume physical activity within 3-7 days .
It’s a brotherhood - talking to other men who have gone through is a great way to realize that it is a truly good, safe option.
It’s the final cut - vasectomies should be considered permanent.
Unless.. there are ways to reverse the procedure and create a new pathway.
Are there any men out there that have gone through this? Are these statements accurate? Are you happy that you went through with it? Please let us know.
